1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a head and neck support pillow and more particularly to a support pillow not of the medical type for primary restriction such as surgical collars and the like but which can serve a multiple of mild support purposes including providing improved lateral head and neck support, providing chin and head support, and/or providing improved support to the back of the neck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For years infants, toddlers, and small children sitting or riding in car seats, carriers, walkers, strollers, swings, jumpers, high chairs, and similar seat-like devices have been rudely awakened when their heads fell forward, backward, or sideways as they drifted off to sleep or due to bumps or acceleration variations in the ride. Such infants, toddlers, and children were not only rudely awakened, but, in many instances, suffered injuries which resulted in at least prolonged crying or the like.
More seriously, modern doctors realize the importance of protecting a child's delicate neck and head from twisting, turning, sudden shifts in direction, and of course contusions and the like. These children can not be routinely provided with any type of restrictive surgical brace or collar so the standard prior art solution was to place a common pillow behind the child's head. This, of course, left the sides of the neck and head and front exposed unless the person protecting the child decided to stuff four separate pillows or a blanket or the like around the baby for protection purposes. This, of course, overheated the baby or child making it extremely uncomfortable and difficult to sleep, and often squeezed it into the seat adding still additional discomfort. Bib-like devices or simplistic collars of the prior art offered no real solution to these problems.
The travel industry is also an important source of support pillow useage. Air travel, trains, busses, subways and other forms of mass transportation illustrate the need for support pillows for older children and adults as well as infants, toddlers, and small children, regardless of the particular type of seat used. As increased amounts of time are spent on airplanes, trains, busses, automobiles and the like, the carrier must plan on offering the traveler an opportunity to rest up or sleep in preparation for arrival at his destination or at least see that he rests comfortably during the trip. However, most types of mass transportation require that any resting or sleep which the traveler gets he must get in a seated or substantially vertical position. Sleeping in this position often permits the head to bob and/or twist, turn or rest for long periods of time in an unnatural position. This results in lack of sleep or rest and often in a cramped neck, sore muscles or the like. The prior art recognized the need to provide some type of light support to the head and neck area so as to permit more comfortable rest during travel and resolved the problem by using standard type pillows and rolled up blankets which have proved wholly unsatisfactory. These standard pillows, and more often than not, substandard pillows, offered little or no support and provided a simple head rest at best at either the back of the head or the back of the neck but seldom both. Furthermore, the covers to these pillows were often dirty and unsanitary, absorbed sweat and moisture from the travelers head and neck area and smelled.
Another area in the prior art recognizing the need for support pillows is the medical area. While the medical area is replete with braces and the like to provide primary restriction, such devices are not useable to provide simple light support and comfort for its users, particularly small children and the like. Further, the medical area has recognized the need for a support device to discourage a user, often a medical patient, from rolling out of a predetermined position while sleeping in a horizontal position. Surgical pillows provide excellent support to the back of the neck while sleeping in a horizontal position but they offer little or no restriction to keep the person from physically rolling out of the desired position or even out of bed.
Further, the prior art teaches the need for a light comfortable support apparatus for use when a primary restrictive apparatus such as a surgical collar for the neck and head was not presently being worn or was not required. For example, patients having difficulty with muscle control of the neck or patients bound to wheelchairs often require or desire some form of neck support even during periods when rigid braces or collars which were used as primary restrictive devices were removed. There was no apparatus available for use when the primary restrictive apparatus is temporarily removed and thus those patients who require secondary or relatively mild support during the interum periods, remain wanting. Therefore, a need still exists in the prior art for a relatively mild or comfortable support pillow or apparatus which is capable of providing less than true restrictive support to the head and neck area of a person and thus provide comfort and/or medical benefits to that person.
Furthermore, the need exists for a relatively simple, light weight, washable, medically acceptable, head and neck support capable of providing various types of support for comfort and protection. Yet further, a need exists for a support pillow which permits restful sleep for the user in the vertical position, which provides improved support to discourage the user from rolling out of the desired position when used during periods of horizontal rest, and which provides improved support as a supplement to primary restrictive apparatus during periods of non-use. Lastly, the prior art teaches the need for a support pillow which offers head and neck support and substantial protection to infants, toddlers, and small children in various seat-like devices; and which can be rendered fire proof, water proof, moisture proof, bacteria proof, while being able to breath to eliminate evaporation and perspiration; able to pass heat to prevent rashes and the like; and which may be quickly and easily assembled and/or put on and taken off a user's neck.
The support pillow of the present invention solves substantially all of these problems and provides a relatively low cost, extremely simple means whereby a user can receive head and neck support of various types depending upon the positioning of the pillow.